Controlled slack coupler



Aug. 6, 1957 F. H. KAYLER CONTROLLED SLACK COUPLER 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed July 1, 1954 'Aug. 6, 1957 AYL R 2,801,755

CONTROLLED SLACK COUPLER Filed July 1, 1954 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENT R.

United States Patent ()fifice 2,801,755 Patented Aug. '6, 1957 CDNTROLLED SLACK COUPLER Frank H. Kayler, Alliance, Ohio, assignor to American Steel Foundries, Chicago, 111., a corporation of New Jersey Application July 1, 1954,'Serial No. 440,710

7 Claims. (Cl. 213 -112) Theinvcntion relates to railway car couplers and more particularly to an improveddesign of that ;type of coupler known in the art as a controlled slack coupler.

As commonly applied in railway service, the great majority of car couplers have a certainamount of play between the mated coupler units, this being commonly called free slack. The clearances resulting in this free slack are necessary in standard coupler arrangements to permit mated couplers to angle horizontally and vertically. A certain amount of clearance has also been provided in the arrangements to permitsatisfactory operation of the parts during coupling. In the controlled slack coupler the particular coupler unitsare designed to afford control for approximately two-thirds of this free slack. A typical example of .a controlled slack coupler is illustrated in Patent No. 2,250,993, issued luly 29, 1941, in the nameof Edmund P. Kinne and Frank H. Kayler.

The controlled slack couplerhas been found particularly desirable for use on rolling type stocks ;such as passenger trains wherein it is necessary to eliminate :as far as possible the play between the mated parts in order to facilitate handling of the train in a manner that is conducive to the comfort ofthe passengers. Additionally, in recent years, there has been a demand in the art to eliminate shock and jerks which often accompany .coupling and uncoupling-wheresuch operations occur most frequently, that is, in railway yards where rolling stock is shuttled from one track to another. To satisfy this desire, controlled slack couplers have been installed on switchengines frequently utilized in railway yards. Obviously the coupling mechanism utilized on a switch engine must operate satisfactorily with all types of standard coupler units employed on the various types of railway rolling stock.

As noted above, passenger car stock is frequently equipped with the controlled slack type coupler, hence no problem is here presented when acontr'olled slack type coupler is mounted ona' switch engine. Additionally, passenger rolling stock is frequently equipped with that type of coupler known in the art as the tightlock coupler. As a general proposition, the controlled slack type coupler will ordinarily operate satisfactorily when coupled to a tightlock type coupler. However, due to the fact that the controlled slack coupler has a compressible plunger mounted in its guard arm, a feature not found in the tightlock coupler, it became necessary to add rubber pads on the controlled slack coupler on abutments positioned above and below the tightlock guard arm in order to offset the angling pressure exerted by the plunger on the controlled slack coupler when said coupler is mated with a tightlock coupler. It is believed that this difficulty will be Well understood by those familiar with the art. This has been the design practice for several years, it being found that the two rubber pads .aboveand below the tightlock guard arm were necessary in order to properly counterbalance the action of the plunger in the controlled slack guard arm.

It will also be readily apparent that'if a controlled slack type coupler isgutilized on a switch engine, it is mandatorythat this type of coupler operate satisfactorily with all coupling units normally employed on freight car rolling stock. Railway freight rolling stock currently in use today may employ the type of coupling units known in. the art as the type D or E, the type B coupling unit being the most common. An examination of Patent 1,985,036, issued December 18, 1934, toE. P. Kinne will show in general outline the formation of the type of couplers known asthe D or'E-coupler. Aswillbewell understood by those skilled in the art, railway freight cars equipped with-type D or E couplers have rigidly fixed thereto angle cooks for the purpose of connecting air lines onadjacent coupledunits. The angle ,cocks serve to connect air supply to operate the brakes on the various freight cars, hence it is obviously-mandatory'that any coupling units be so designed as to offer no inter: ferenee for the angle cocks.

With the installation of controlled slack couplerson switch engines, it was found that the lower abutmenton said coupler which mounted the rubber pad on the knuckle side ofthe coupler he'ad interfered with the angle cock associated with the freight cars with the result that the angle cock was frequently damaged and faulty brake operation resulted. When .this faulty operation resulted, the railway operating personnel removed the lower padcarrying abutment from the controlled slack coupler. This solved the problem with relation to the coupling of the controlled slack'cou'pler with the type B coupler on railway freight car equipment. However, with the lower pad and abutmentremovednitwas found the controlled'slack coupler would no longer consistently satisfactorilycouple with the tightlock type coupler frequently used on passenger carrolling stock. Thus it became an important problem in theart to design a controlled slack coupler that would satisfactorily couple with both the tightlock type coupler 'andthe type E coupler normally used on railway freight car equipment.

Accordingly, it is a primary' object of the invention to design a novel controlled slack type coupler that will operate satisfactorily both with the type E coupler and the tightlock coupler normally employed on railway rolling stock.

It is an additional object of the invention to design a controlled slack type coupler having different interlock lugs on the top and bottom of the coupler and on the knuckle side thereof.

It is a specific object of the invention to provide a controlled slack type coupler with a lower interlock lug of reduced dimensions compared to that heretofore employed on this type of coupler and to afford an upper interlock lug designed to mount a rubber pad of sufficient capacity to offer an offsetting pressure when the .controlled slacktype coupler is coupler with a tightlock type coupler.

These and other objects of the invention will become apparent in the course of the following description and from examination of the concerned drawings, wherein:

Figure l is a side elevational view of a controlled slack type coupler employing the features of the invention,

Figure 2 is a fragmentary front elevational view of the controlled slack type coupler shown in Figure l, and

Figure 3 is a fragmentary top plan view of a controlled slack type coupler employing the invention,

Figure 4 is detail, front and side elevational views of the novel rubber pad employed inthe coupler.

Describing in detail thenovel coupler herein disclosed and referring first to the showing thereof as illustrated in the figures, it will .be noted that each coupler comprises the usual coupler head, generally designated 2, integrally formed with a shank 4, said shank being shown as a fragmentary portion only. As will be well understood by those skilled in the art, the coupler head additionally comprises the usual guard arm portion (not shown) and a knuckle 8 which may be pivoted on a vertical axis (not shown) in the usual and well known manner. The novel coupler additionally comprises a cavity 10 formed on the coupler head at the knuckle side thereof. Integrally formed with the coupler head above and below the cavity 10 and merging with the side walls of the coupler head are vertically Spaced top and bottom winglike brackets 26 and 28, respectively. These brackets afford gathering means for the guard arm nose of a mating coupler which during the coupling operation will deposit itself Within the cavity 10. As will be clearly seen from the side elevational view of Figure 1, the upper bracket 26 extends toward the forward edge of the coupler and there presents a top lug or abutment 30, said lug or abutment 30 having a recess 32 formed therein with an opening directed forwardly of the coupler.

The lower bracket 28 extends below the cavity 10 to the forward edge of the coupler whereat it presents an abutment 34, said abutment 34 being in the form of a solid piece of cast material. Wings or flanges 36 and 38 are additionally integrally formed with the coupler 2 and the brackets 26 and 28 respectively, whereby strength and rigidity is added to the coupler on the knuckle side thereof.

Directing attention to Figure 2 which shows a fragmentary front elevational view of the coupler and the knuckle side thereof, it will be seen that the upper abutment or lug 30 extends horizontally to substantially overlap the opening of the cavity 10 offered in the front face of the coupler. Directing attention to Figure 2, it will be seen that the vertical central axis of the opening presented by the cavity 10 is indicated by the line 42. It will be noted that substantially all of the abutment 34 presented by the lower bracket 28 is located to the right of the extended line 42 as seen in the front elevational view of Figure 2. It will also be noted that a substantial portion of the abutment 30, that is, more than onehalf of said abutment, is to the left of the line 42 as seen in the same figure. It will thus be understood by those skilled in the art that the lower abutment 34 has been considerably reduced in area from that heretofore found in the art, and that in addition to the reduction in area and the repositioning of the abutment 34 the preferred embodiment of the invention illustrated also eliminates a rubber bumper frequently carried by the abutment 34.

As earlier noted, the elimination of the rubber bumper on the lower abutment 34 resulted in unsatisfactory operation of the controlled slack coupler when said controlled slack coupler was coupled with that type of coupler known as the tightlock coupler. To eliminate this difliculty the preferred embodiment of the invention mounts a new and novel rubber pad 44 in the recess 32 presented by the upper abutment 30.

Attention is now directed to Figure 4 which illustrates in detail the construction of the new rubber bumper employed in the preferred embodiment of the invention. It will be noted that the bumper 44 is approximately rectangular in cross section and additionally has a straight cylindrical hole 46 extending therethrough and located centrally of the bumper 44. One end of the hole 46 is countersunk in a rectangular manner as at 48 to accommodate the recess mounting of a bolt head when the bumper is mounted on the coupler. To obtain satisfactory coupling action under all conditions, it has been found that the rubber bumper must comply with the following specifications, that is, it must have durometer' hardness of seventy-five and a tensile strength of 3600 pounds per square inch.

Directing attention to Figure 1, it will be seen that the abutment 30 presents a vertical wall 50 which extends generally transversely of the coupler and forms a rear wall for the recess 32. The wall 50 has a hole or aper- 4 ture 52 formed therein approximately centrally of the rectangular recess 32. The rubber bumper 44 is positioned in the recess 32 and a bolt 54 is disposed in the hole 46 of the bumper 44 and also in the hole 52 of the wall 50. A nut 56 may be threadably positioned on the end of the bolt 54 to secure the bumper 44 to the abutment 30.

The above described novel slack controlled coupler has been found, under actual operating and service test conditions, to accord highly satisfactory coupling and uncoupling with all types of standard couplers now in use in railway operation. That is, the particular novel slack controlled coupler herein described when utilized in a switching operation in railroad yards effectively reduces noise, shock, etc. during all coupling and uncoupling operations and consistently operates satisfactorily regardless of whether said coupler is being coupled with another slack controlled type coupler or a tightlock type coupler or the standard D, E or F type coupler frequently employed on railway freight rolling stock.

I claim:

1. In a coupler unit for railway rolling stock, a coupler head, a knuckle pivoted to the head on a substantially vertical axis and on one side of the head, a cavity in the side of the head outboardly of the knuckle with an opening facing forwardly of the coupler, said opening being of rectangular shape as seen in front elevational view and characterized by vertically and horizontal axes, vertically spaced brackets on the housing located above and below the cavity, said brackets each having an abutment located adjacent said opening, the upper abutment being characterized by the fact that the greater portion of it as seen in front elevational view is located outboardly of said last mentioned vertical axis and the lower abutment being characterized by the fact that the greater portion of it as seen in front elevational view is located inboardly of said last mentioned vertical axis, said upper abutment having a recess therein, and a rubber pad fixedly mounted in said recess and arranged to project forwardly of said upper abutment.

2. A coupler unit for railway rolling stock according to claim 1, wherein said abutments present forwardly facing areas, the area on the upper abutment being substantially greater than the area on the lower abutment.

3. A coupler unit for railway rolling stock according to claim 2, wherein the forward edges of said upper and lower abutments fall in a common vertical plane.

4. A coupler unit for railway rolling stock according to claim 1, wherein the greater portion of the upperabutment is located on the side of said vertical axis outboardly of the head and the greater portion of the lower abutment is located on the side of said vertical axis inboardly of the head.

5. In a coupler unit for railway rolling stock, a coupler head having a guard arm side and .a knuckle side, a knuckle pivoted to the head on a vertical axis at the knuckle side of said head, said head having a cavity in the knuckle side thereof to receive the guard arm of a mating coupler, said cavity having an opening facing forwardly of the coupler, vertically spaced brackets on the head located above and below the cavity, respectively, each of said brackets having an abutment positioned adjacent said opening, said abutments presenting forwardly facing areas, the area on the upper abutment being substantially greater than the area on the lower abutment,

and the area on the lowerabutment being located inboardly of the majority of the area on the upper abutment, as seen in front elevational view.

6. In a controlled slack type railway vehicle coupler capable of coupling with both freight car and passenger car type couplers, a coupler head, a knuckle pivoted to the head at one side thereof and rotatable about a vertical axis, said head having a cavity therein operative to receive the guard arm of a mating coupler, said cavity having an opening facing forwardly of the coupler, guard arm abutment surfaces presented by the head above and below said opening, respectively, the area of said lower abutment surface tapering downwardly and located inboardly of the majority of the area of said upper abutment surface, as seen in front elevational view.

7. A controlled slack type coupler for railway rolling stock comprising a coupler head, a knuckle pivoted to the head on one side thereof and rotatable about a vertical axis, said head having a cavity therein with an opening facing forwardly of the coupler, a bracket on the head above the opening presenting a guard arm abutment sur face defining the perimeter of a recess for an associated 6 bumper, a bracket on the head below the opening presenting a guard arm abutment surface, the area on said lower abutment surface being located inboardly of the majority of the area on said upper abutment surface, as seen in front elevational view.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,250,993 Kinne et al July 29, 1941 2,361,850 Kinne Oct. 31, 1944 2,408,653 Kinne Oct. 1, 1946 

